South Africa will know India had to resort to the most desperate of measures to keep them from winning a series in India for the second time in the same decade. And even on the underprepared Green Park pitch, they didn’t disgrace themselves, and went into the third day with a chance of victory.After the match, Graeme Smith was not so disappointed that he would be bitter, yet he knew they could have done better on the third day when they let India’s last wicket add 37 to their overnight lead. “We were also not as good with the ball as we have been in the series,” Smith said. “We were a little bit too anxious to bowl India out instead of just bowling in the right areas. Today India proved that if you just got the ball in the right areas there is enough up there in the wicket for you. We let ourselves down slightly.”When you are playing on a wicket like this, the margins are very small. We were 30 runs short in the first innings. That and India’s getting a lead like that were the two big swinging points in the Test match.”This was a dramatic end to the third leg of their subcontinent tour during which they have done themselves proud. “It has been a terrific season,” he said. “When we went to Pakistan, with three series in the subcontinent ahead of us, I don’t think many people gave us any chance. We won in Pakistan, won in Bangladesh, and we came up good against a very good Indian team.”Their batsmen have come up in leaps and bounds over these series, and Smith said that the development of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, along with the comeback of Neil McKenzie, were the biggest gains of the season. “The way McKenzie has made the comeback and made the opening position his own is superb,” Smith said. “Hashim has taken over the crucial No. 3 position, he has got all the shots, and has become stronger and stronger. I hope he carries that form into England.”AB has batted at different positions, and the way he has adjusted is just great. We all know he has all the shots, and the ability, to become an outstanding cricketer. I think he is learning how to manage all that, and he will go from strength to strength.”It must have been disappointing to lose at the brink of a major upset, but Smith said 1-1 was a result the hosts will be more disappointed with. “If we were playing India at home, and it was 1-1 we would be sitting in our dressing room a touch disappointed. Both teams are strong at home. We would obviously have loved to win the series, but we have played some terrific cricket so far in this season. We have won eight out of 12 Test matches and lost two.”What was most remarkable about the South African team might not come through just by looking at these numbers. They were given a pitch that might have had other touring teams complaining bitterly. The South Africans, on the other hand, made no complaints – their captain and coach even mentioned that they wouldn’t hesitate to give the tourists a greentop if they were looking to come back in a home series – and instead went ahead and gave it their best shot. This was in stark contrast to Ricky Ponting’s team that lost in Mumbai in 2004-05.
The duration of the World Cup, which spanned 47 days, has been questioned by Aleem Dar, the Pakistani umpire who stood in the final of the tournament. His comments come after the umpires and the match-referee were severely criticised for failing to apply the rules correctly in the rain-affected final at the Kensington Oval.”It was a bit too long and in the end tired out the players and umpires,” he said. “I think the World Cup should be of shorter duration.”Dar, however, defended himself when asked what went wrong as heavy rain and bad light interrupted the final, by saying the confusion did not occur because of the on-field officials (Dar and Steve Bucknor). “I think there was a communication breakdown and we acted on instructions from outside. But the feeling was that the match had to be completed on the reserve day but the captains told us this is the rule,” he clarified. “At times mistakes do happen. The ICC and match officials have done the right thing by apologising for the mistake made in the final.”Dar, who has supervised 37 Tests and 88 ODIs, was standing in his first World Cup final while Bucknor was officiating his fifth successive final.
Matthew Engel, the editor of the 2006 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which is published today, has criticised the continuing expansion of the international game.Writing in his Notes by the Editor, Engel highlights the bloated 2007 World Cup schedule (47 days as opposed to 16 for the Olympics and 31 for football’s version) as an example of how things have gone wrong. “The ballooning of the World Cup derives from one fact alone: the delusion of expansion. From well-intentioned beginnings, this has now become an outright menace. The error is right up there at the start of the ICC’s mission statement. It will lead, it says, ‘by promoting the game as a global sport’. It should change its mission statement.”Engel argues that while expansion might be a noble aim, the reality is that cricket remains embedded in its traditional strongholds. “None of the four countries elevated to Test status since the Second World War represents a gain of territory: Pakistan and Bangladesh were simply new political entities carved out of India; in cricketing terms, the same is true of Zimbabwe which – as Rhodesia – played in South African domestic cricket; and the rise of Sri Lanka was just a matter of degree.Overwhelmingly, the game in non-traditional countries is played byexpatriates, mostly South Asian. Journalists were kidded into believing thatcricket was about to burst on China, on the basis of some warm commentsby civil servants and a couple of coaching courses. I have seen not oneshred of evidence to back this up. Are the kids playing with tapeballs onthe streets of Shanghai? Are they heck!”Engel goes on to bemoan the ICC’s decision to grant another six countries one-day status. “This will add another layer of distortion to cricket’s poor old statistics. Far more often than not, it will also create yet more bad cricket, leaving less time for the great contests which the public want to watch.”Two terrible events, the Champions Trophy and the Afro-Asia Cup, have already been justified by the need to raise money for expansion. Millions of pounds later and -aside from the thoroughly dubious case of Kenya – what has emerged?”The top two of the five teams who qualified for the World Cup via theICC Trophy are Scotland and Ireland. Well, whoop-de-doo! In cricketingterms, these are not separate countries. It is just a historical quirk that theEngland cricket team is not called Britain or the British Isles. Every Scotsmanand Irishman who gets good at cricket wants to play for England, and alwayshas done. Of course they do.”And he concludes by questioning the strength of the new additions. “The idea that they can provide proper opposition for any genuine Test team is ludicrous. But the World Cup will be substantially ruined to perpetuate this myth.”If I ever get the chance to report the first China v England Test at Guangzhou, I would be delighted to celebrate with a plateful of sweet-and-sour hat. But it is time to stop wrecking the game we do have in the vain pursuit of the one we don’t.”
Ricky Ponting feels that too much is being made of the whole issue surrounding his bat, with MCC suggesting that the strip of carbon graphite on the back might enhance its efficiency. Ponting revealed that he had been using the same bat for the last five or six years, and didn’t think the addition of a sticker could make any difference.He added that the sticker on the back of the bat had been changed to appeal to young cricket fans and provide protection against wear and tear. “I’ve been using that Kahuna bat for the last five or six years,” he told Australia’s Channel Ten. “It’s just the sticker that’s changed this year, that’s the difference. I’ve just had a real laugh at it so far, I’ve not really thought too much about it.”As the matter stands, the International Cricket Council has referred the matter back to MCC who, in their capacity as guardiansof the laws of cricket, will determine whether the bat conforms to the regulations. Ponting, though, appeared the least perturbed. “I’m not sure where it’s all started out from,” he said, “whether it’s the ICC or the MCC or whatever or whether it’s something the players have drummed up over there. I’m not really sure and I don’t really care to tell you the truth.”
Australia coasted to an easy victory on the fifth morning at the MCG, and it wasonly fitting that the two men who really set up this match for them, Matthew Haydenand Ricky Ponting, knocked off the 95 required to draw level in the series.Steve Waugh’s final series is now set up tantalisingly, and the teams will go intothe final Test at Sydney in three days’ time with Australia having much of themomentum, and India, memories of Adelaide.Hayden and Ponting had put on 234 in the first innings, and this morning they puton 88 for the second wicket after Justin Langer was out early. Hayden was himselfdistinctly fortunate to survive an lbw appeal off Ashish Nehra early in hisinnings, but after this he took to the bowling with a succession of meaty drivesand swings to leg, and just before the winning runs were struck he nonchalantlylaunched Anil Kumble over the infield to bring up his half-century. Ponting was asassured as ever, working the ball sweetly on both sides of the wicket to finishwith 31 not out. This match was his Test just as the Adelaide Test was Rahul Dravid’s.India’s one success on the morning was almost predictable: Ajit Agarkar tookLanger’s wicket for the fifth time in the series, rapping him on the pads with alate inswinger (9 for 1). Langer has been out to Agarkar in this fashion once everyTest match, and there was still a flicker of hope for India at this stage, but thisbrought Australia’s two most prolific batsmen together, and after a steady startthey accelerated and got home at a canter.
Andhra batsmen frittered away good starts as the visitors lost theirway while pursuing Gujarat’s first-innings score of 499. When stumpswere drawn at the end of the third day’s play at the Sardar PatelStadium, Motera, Ahmedabad, Andhra were 251 for six. Former Indiawicketkeeper MSK Prasad, batting on 33, and the late-order batsmenwere left with the herculean task of adding another 249 runs to securethe first-innings lead that would help Andhra continue their fairytalerun this season.In the morning, Mohammad Faiq, who made 71, was the only Andhrabatsman to notch up a fifty. GN Shrinivas (34) and Y Venugopal Rao(37) might have been among the runs but they could not convert it intoa innings of substance. Just when Andhra seeemed down and out, thePrasads – MSK and RVC – put together a 63-run partnership to givetheir team a glimmer of hope. RVC on 29 was keeping MSK company whenstumps were drawn. For Gujarat, Kalpesh Patel returned figures of fivefor 48 off 25 overs.
Lahore, Nov 25: The PCB XI narrowly escaped defeat after MatthewHoggard looked to steer England to an unlikely victory in the threedayer at the Bagh-e-Jinnah which ended in a draw on Saturday.Hoggard followed up his first innings effort of four for 13 with fourfor 17 as the PCB XI finished at 71 for six after England had declaredtheir first innings at 237 for seven to earn a first innings lead of120 runs.The second day of the match was washed out without a ball beingbowled. At stumps on the first day, England were 76 for two in replyto PCB XI’s 117.The home team had slumped to 18 for four in 10.4 overs before beingrescued by teenager Faisal Iqbal who celebrated his recall for theFaisalabad Test with a defiant unbeaten 27. He kept the one end intactduring his 103-minute innings during which he faced 70 balls aswickets fell around him.Hoggard, who has taken his tally of wickets to 17 in two matches, wasquick, accurate and deadly in his 11-over burst. After Alex Tudordismissed Mohammad Ramazan for his second duck of the match, Hoggardgot his acts together to dismiss Salman Butt, Bazid Khan, Shoaib Malikand Faisal Naveed.He was on a hat trick after accounting for Bazid and skipper Shoaiboff successive balls. But was denied by 17-year-old wicketkeeperKamran Akmal who finished the day at 10 not out. Nevertheless, despitea splendid performance, Hoggard received no good news from skipperNasser Hussain who didn’t guarantee him a place in the second Teststarting at Faisalabad from Nov 29.Hussain, who himself is struggling for form, said: “He has played justone Test match. We will see how things go because we have to see thepitch as well. “We got the warning in the one-dayers what lay aheadfor us,” he added with reference to the expected spinning pitch at theindustrial city of the country.Once again it were the out-swingers that carpeted the Pakistanhopefuls as five of the six batsmen were demised behind wickets. HasanRaza, world’s youngst Test player, was caught hooking Tudor.Earlier, England batted watchfully in an extended first session of theplay before accelerating the proceedings in the second half when theyscored run-a-minute 70 before declaring.Wicket-keeper Paul Nixon scored a 62-ball 47 not out with two foursand a six and Ashley Giles contributed 28 off 61 deliveries.Marcus Trescothick tuned up for the back-to-back Tests with 50 beforeretiring after a 125-ball innings that comprised six boundaries. AlecStewart scored 47 with eight fours and added 90 runs for the thirdwicket with the left-handed opener. But there was disappointment forTest aspirants Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff. Vaughan, whomissed the first Test because of calf injury, spent just 32 minutes atthe crease while scoring four and Flintoff, who flew in as areplacement, lasted for just one delivery.Left-arm Islamabad pacer Stephen John was the most successful PCB XIbowler with figures of four for 73. He bowled well within hislimitations thought the grassy wicket at times tempted to put in extrawhich result in him becoming wayward.Test discard Fazl-i-Akbar finished with two for 91 – expensive figuresconsidering the seamer’s friendly surface.England leave for Faisalabad on Sunday morning where they will have atraining session later in the day.
Manchester United’s recent derby defeat at Old Trafford to Manchester City highlighted that what was then a 15-point gap between the two rivals was far too large, but with Sir Alex Ferguson’s title race turning into an all-out procession, what does it say about the quality of the rest of the top flight that a good but unspectacular side has found it so easy going this season?
It wasn’t just the result that stood out from the Manchester derby on Monday night, but rather the manner of City’s victory, where they were good value for all three points after dominating large swathes of the game. It certainly called into question that this is hardly a vintage team from United’s perspective, but rather a ruthless winning machine capable of grinding out results. When was the last time a United side genuinely impressed over a consistent period and played with the swagger we all associate with them?
Despite the criticisms that they’ve barely had to get out of second gear, though, it hardly speaks volumes for the rest of the league and its relative strength in depth. United have already broken records this term, having won 25 of their first 30 league outings this year and with a current tally of 77 points gleaned from 31 games, with seven fixtures of the campaign left to play, they could still surpass the 95-point record set by Chelsea under Jose Mourinho during the 2004-2005 season.
What at one point looked like being a season to remember for the red half of Manchester has slowly collapsed around them, after losing the Champions League tie to Real Madrid, letting a two-goal lead slip at home to Chelsea in the FA Cup, then going on to narrowly lose the return leg 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, This has left them with just the league to focus on, in a year which promised much more. When the going has got tough down the home straight, United have been found wanting, lacking energy and quality to bridge that crucial but sizeable gap between good and great.
Of course, that turns out attentions back to the lack of challenge they’ve faced in the league all season. Main rivals City have just imploded, with in-fighting, poor signings and injuries to key players costing them dearly. Not one of the integral spine of the side – Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero – have performed better this year than during last term’s title win and manager Roberto Mancini is under significant pressure to lift the FA Cup now to put to bed any fears he may have over his long-term future.
Arsenal’s defensive woes all but ruled them out of the running very early on and Arsene Wenger’s reluctant to spend big remains a mystery with the club on such a sound financial footing while on the pitch they become less and less competitive. They look to be timing their run for a top four spot very well now, with Tottenham fading badly at the same time they did last year, but with that simply deemed enough these days by the French boss, they’ll struggle to break through that glass ceiling any time in the near future.
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Meanwhile, Liverpool and Tottenham are both going through transition phases, which means they remain inconsistent beasts overly-reliant on Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale to get them out of trouble. With both clubs being hindered by their respective chairman during the summer transfer window and with new managers in tow, each club was simply targeting a year of progress, with Andre Villas-Boas set the target of a top four place and Brendan Rodgers believed to have been ordered simply to stop the recent league regression. They’ve both achieved that and will set bigger target to try and achieve in the future, but this year was always about getting their foot in the door and consolidating.
That brings us to Chelsea and the turmoil that has become some sort of cathartic annual ritual for owner Roman Abramovich. They may still be challenging for the FA Cup and Europa League, but this is a squad that’s absolutely on its knees, having to play through the most congested fixture list most have ever witnessed. Between December and February, Rafa Benitez’s side played 25 games across five competitions, and by comparison United played just 19 across three competitions. Not only is that physically draining, it’s mentally fatiguing.
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One erroneous statistic that’s been floated around as an excuse of the poisonous atmosphere that Stamford Bridge has witnessed after the unpopular appointment of Benitez is that the club were four points off the top under Roberto Di Matteo when he was sacked and now they sit 19 points off United at the pinnacle. What it’s trying to imply is that Di Matteo, a fortunate cup manager with no real record of league achievement other than finishing sixth last season with an Andre Villas-Boas side that had been left in third prior to his dismissal, would have somehow managed to put together a title challenge. It’s a bizarre opinion born out of nothing but misplaced anger towards the Spaniard. Instead of trying to take on the organ-grinder (Abramovich), Chelsea fans have taken the cowardly route of criticising the interim monkey (Benitez). They lack the depth, quality and ability to be a top two side at the moment and deep down, every fan knows that.
United look to be walking to the league title with minimum fuss this season because they’ve simply been consistent, while everyone else around them has either collapsed in quite spectacular fashion through a mixture of internal conflicts and external crises. Ferguson is once again the last man standing, but rather than delivering any sort of knockout blows to his rivals, he’s simply managed to keep his side on their feet and given that it’s comfortably been enough shows you how weak everyone else has been. They deserve great credit for their achievement, coming back in such a fashion from last season’s last-minute let down, but this could just be the easiest title the club have won in the Premier League era.
Virender Sehwag, who will captain the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, felt his side had a good balance despite missing out on Ishant Sharma, the Delhi fast bowler who made a fine impression during India’s recent tour to Australia.Sehwag said Ishant was among the players he had short-listed but decided against the bid because of the “high price” attached to him. Ishant, who was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping US$ 950,000, is the costliest bowlers in the IPL.”We wanted Ishant but the team budget forced us to decide against going for him,” Sehwag said. “His bid price had soared up. We have to spend a lot more on the icon player [Sehwag himself] and had we bid for him and we would not have got some other big stars.”I would not call it a loss but it would have been great if he was in our team. I am happy that he was taken by Kolkata on a big sum.”Sehwag spoke about the allround capabilities of his side, one filled with utility players. “Our team combination is good, it is a balance side,” he said. “We have very good batsmen, brilliant bowlers and excellent allrounders. It is young side. Leaving a few, most of the players are young and I think we have the best fielding side of all the IPL teams.”The squad has eight international stars – Glenn McGrath, Daniel Vettori, Shoaib Malik, AB de Villiers, Mohammad Asif, Farvez Maharoof, Tillekaratne Dilshan and Brett Geeves – but Sehwag said he is confident that the team members would gel.”We did not want any superstars in the team,’ he said. “We have quite a few youngsters from the domestic cricket. I am happy that we gave chance to these youngsters and at the same time I will be leading players most of whom I know and played along or against. I am a professional and have played international cricket for some years. A captain takes decision on the field and players have to go by it.”Sehwag, who will open the innings, also revealed that he was keen to lead the Delhi side. “I grew up here and wanted to play for Delhi and not for any other team. Had I not been made the icon player I could have been landed up in any other team. So I had asked the owner to make the arrangements,” said the 29-year-old batsman.Meanwhile,GMR Holding, the owners of the Delhi side, have announced that two-wheeler company Hero Honda will be its main sponsor, while sportswear company Adidas will design the uniforms of the team.The Delhi Daredevils play their first game against Rajasthan Royals on April 19 at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi.
Phil Simmons hopes his new position as Ireland’s coach will help erase the terrible experiences he had while coaching Zimbabwe. Simmons was officially in charge of Ireland from the beginning of March, but it was agreed that outgoing Irish coach Adrian Birrell would remain at the helm until after the World Cup.Simmons, the former West Indian allrounder, is currently an assistant to Birrell in the Caribbean. “My role was to come and be part of the team and to get to know the people,” Simmons said. “It’s been easy because Adrian is happy with it. Basically, I’m an assistant. It hasn’t been hard at all, it’s been very easy actually.” The agreement will last a little longer now that Ireland have qualified for the Super Eights.Happy as he is, Simmons is taking his new challenge in his stride after his controversial assignment in Zimbabwe. “Off the field, it has taught me – don’t trust many people,” Simmons told the . “It’s a sad thing to say, but that’s the thing it’s taught me through and through. There’s not many trustworthy people in the world anymore.”His contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket was terminated in August last year and he suddenly found himself having to fight a battle over deportation and compensation. “I can’t get scarred,” he said. “I am too blessed to get scarred. As coach of Zimbabwe, it taught me different things. It taught me a lesson about life in Zimbabwe which is totally different to life anywhere else I’ve been.”